Analysis - Thomas Fessy, BBC West Africa correspondent, Ouagadougou

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This latest kidnapping bears signs of an operation mounted by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). The extremist group has a long history of kidnap-for-ransom in the region, to the extent that it once was one of its major revenue sources.

Similarly, the attack on the cafe and hotel popular with foreigners in the capital was carefully planned. Throughout the siege, AQIM was releasing statements about its intentions to kill as many Westerners as possible.

The intervention of French special forces was key to retaking control of the hotel but this latest attack is another blow for France's military strategy in the Sahel. The French drove most jihadi groups out of their hideouts in northern Mali but AQIM and others remain an active threat throughout the region.

Former Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore had forged some kind of relationship with these groups, often negotiating the release of foreign hostages. But since he was ousted in a popular uprising, Burkina Faso may have become just another battleground for the Islamist militants.